In a time where every person carries a cell phone and life without internet access can't exist, why is it still hard to stay connected? The need to use technology to improve our lives has been felt in the medical field. There are current incentives for physicians from the government to adopt an electronic medical record system by 2015. This is a great opportunity for physicians to be more organized, communicate easier and work more efficiently. When I started my practice in Milsboro, I started my search for the perfect EMR. Most are easily tailored to Internal Medicine and primary care, but none had ever dealt with a sleep physician. As a result, I had to focus on my ability to customize the software to the needs of my sleep practice. After months of demos, phone calls and free trials, I decided to sign up for Allscripts MyWay. I also signed up during a promotion that got me a free Fujitsu T900 netbook to use. The netbook allows me to do my charting in the room, send prescriptions electronically and fax referrals to other doctors even before the patient leaves the room. How much better could work get?
Thinking all my hard work was done, I faced the next challenge in bringing technology into the medical world - staying connected. Traditionally an Ethernet cable does the job for a regular desktop computer. A netbook on the go however, needs the freedom to connect from anywhere. The easy answer is to set up wifi and that usually does the trick. The real question becomes what happens when neither wifi or Ethernet connectivity works. The solution is tethering your computer to your phone. The caveat is that you need to have a phone with the capacity to tether and you need to be careful not to exceed your maximum allowed data usage. Tethering is best used as a back-up option when it's necessary to access information online.
So if you come in to see me in the next few days, don't be surprised if I'm carrying in my netbook and cell phone instead of your paper chart.
(302) 648-2099
(302) 648-2097